The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to many obstacles, but the ingenuity and fighting spirit of airmen assigned to the 82nd Reconnaissance Squadron and 390th Intelligence Squadrons at Kadena Air Base, Japan, have persevered with new policies amid an unrelenting operations tempo.
The squadrons hustled from the beginning, working hard to accomplish their mission while protecting their airmen from harm by enacting several health and safety measures.
''Our squadron has adapted to the new normal by changing the way we operate,'' said Air Force Lt. Col. John Jewell, commander of the 82nd RS. ''We've broken the airmen up into teams, enforced social distancing and communicated electronically to keep in touch, among other things.''
By quickly enacting and adapting to these measures, members were able to devote themselves to a top priority: mission success.
''Our mission is to collect intelligence to give to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command leaders, so they can make informed decisions on how to continue protecting this area of responsibility,'' said Air Force Staff Sgt. Jonathan Dandrea-Garcia, production manager with the 390th IS. ''We're a key intelligence producer in this area, so it's imperative we continue our mission and not slow down. We can't let ourselves falter.''
These changes had to work in tandem with the intelligence mission supporting theater and national-level consumers with near real-time, on-scene intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination capabilities.
They accomplished this by using the RC-135V/W onboard signal detection suite. The mission crew then forwards gathered information in a variety of formats to a wide range of consumers.
Maintaining this high level of readiness and flexibility may be difficult for some, but Air Force Lt. Col. Jarrod Knapp, commander of the 390th IS, said his airmen only gained more resolve as time went by.
''We weren't really able to take a knee,'' Knapp said. ''The key fact is we have not stopped operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We've prevailed despite the virus.''
Many members hope that operations can return to normal as soon as possible but stand ready to accomplish their mission no matter the circumstances.
''I hope that we can open things up to normal operating procedures,'' Dandrea-Garcia said. ''If that's not possible, then we'll just stay here and keep on going as long as it takes.''
(Air Force Senior Airman Rhett Isbell is assigned to the 18th Wing.)